NASA is about to let moonbound astronauts do something that once sounded like science fiction: slip a personal smartphone into their flight gear. After a 60-Year smartphone ban in human spaceflight, crews headed for the International Space Station and the Artemis missions will be allowed to carry modern devices, turning the Moon into one more place where a phone camera can capture the moment.
The change is more than a gimmick about selfies. It reflects a broader shift in how NASA thinks about consumer technology, astronaut autonomy, and the way the public experiences space exploration in real time.
From strict ban to smartphone green light
For decades, NASA treated personal phones as nonstarters in crewed spacecraft, largely because anything that flies has to survive a punishing safety and certification process. That posture has now flipped, with the agency approving smartphones for spaceflight starting with Crew-12, which is ISS bound, and the Artemis II lunar mission, according to detailed Crew-12 planning. The decision effectively ends what one analysis describes as a 60-Year Smartphone Ban, a period in which astronauts relied on agency hardware instead of the same devices everyone else keeps in a pocket or flight suit.
The shift was not a quiet internal memo. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman publicly announced that astronauts on the upcoming Crew-12 and Artemis II missions will be allowed to carry phones, a move that was later amplified in a social media post highlighting how Administrator Jared Isaacman framed the change as part of modernizing crew life. Earlier coverage of the policy reversal noted that NASA had long resisted letting astronauts bring phones, but that the agency now sees value in aligning its tools with what people on Earth already use, a point echoed in reporting that NASA now approves smartphones so crews can document missions with the same technology as everyone else.
Why NASA changed its mind on phones in space
NASA’s reversal did not happen because someone wanted better vacation photos. The agency has been under pressure to streamline its hardware approval pipeline, which critics have described as an arcane process that can leave astronauts using outdated cameras and laptops long after better consumer gear is available. Coverage of the new policy notes that the shift marks a surprising break from a culture that favored custom-built cameras and GoPros, with one analysis pointing out that the agency’s standard imaging gear is now being supplemented by standard imaging gear that now includes phones.
Isaacman has been explicit that the decision is about more than capturing cool new photos and videos. In a discussion highlighted by space and tech watchers, he argued that letting crews carry iPhones is also about giving them tools that feel familiar and intuitive, rather than locking them into specialized hardware that might be less capable than a current flagship phone. One widely shared comment noted that, However, Isaacman also warned that the old approval process has consequences, a reference captured in a However, Isaacman thread that dissected his remarks about how long it used to take to certify even basic electronics.
What astronauts will actually do with their phones
Once phones are strapped into a spacecraft, they become more than entertainment devices. NASA has approved a long discussed change to crew gear so that astronauts on upcoming missions, including those headed to the International Space Station and Artemis flights, can use smartphones for documentation, quick notes, and even backup checklists, according to a detailed breakdown of how NASA has approved the new kit. The same analysis emphasizes that NASA still expects primary mission data to flow through certified systems, but that phones can fill gaps where a lightweight, always-on camera or note-taking app is useful.
There is also a storytelling angle that NASA is leaning into. Commentators close to the program say the agency wants Artemis and ISS crews to share their unique experiences in orbit more directly, using the same social-friendly tools that people on Earth use every day. One report on what astronauts will actually do with them notes that phones will help crews act as storytellers, not just participants in its systems, a point underscored in a piece explaining What Astronauts Will with their devices. That means more candid video diaries, behind the scenes clips from inside Orion, and perhaps the first unfiltered reaction shot as someone looks back at Earth from lunar orbit.
From ISS to Artemis II, phones join the flight manifest
The first test of this new policy will come quickly. NASA has cleared smartphones for spaceflight starting with Crew-12, which is ISS bound, and Artemis II, the crewed lunar flyby that will loop around the Moon before returning to Earth. Reporting on the decision notes that these missions are the initial proving ground for phones in orbit, with NASA approves smartphones as part of a broader effort to modernize crew equipment.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman reinforced that timeline in a post on X, saying that NASA astronauts will soon fly with the latest smartphones as part of their standard kit. Coverage of that announcement explains that including personal smartphones on missions is meant to help crews document their work and share their unique experiences in orbit, a theme repeated in a report on how smartphones in orbit will change public engagement. The same reporting notes that Artemis II, which is described as a March lunar mission in some planning documents, will be the first time a crew carries iPhones on a journey that loops around the Moon.
Selfies, iPhones and the culture of spaceflight
As soon as the policy surfaced, attention turned to the obvious: selfies in space. One early write up urged readers to get ready for some selfies and wide angle shots from inside the spacecraft, noting that the change will let astronauts capture more spontaneous images than the carefully staged photos NASA usually releases. That piece, written by Amanda Silberling at 10:29 AM PST and accompanied by Image Credits that cite SpaceX under a CC BY NC 2.0 license, framed the decision as a cultural moment as much as a technical one, with Amanda Silberling highlighting how phones could reshape the visual record of Artemis.
Another analysis put an even finer point on the device choice, noting that NASA is specifically clearing iPhones for the Moon Mission After a long Year Smartphone Ban, and that astronauts on Crew-12 and Artemis II will be the first to fly with that hardware. The same report describes how NASA Clears iPhones for Moon Mission After 60-Year Smartphone Ban and argues that the iPhone’s camera system is nothing short of perfect for quick documentation in tight quarters, a claim that appears in a detailed breakdown of how NASA Clears iPhones for these flights. A related summary of the policy notes that your iPhone just earned the most extreme stress test imaginable, as it will have to survive launch, microgravity, and lunar radiation, a point repeated in a companion piece on the Year Smartphone Ban that is now ending.
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